Pastor Alvin Tunstill, Jr. and the Trinity Baptist Church Family invites you to a Service of Ordination to the Christian Ministry for Dr. Fontella White on Sunday, December 6th, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. in the Main Sanctuary. The Reverend Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. of New York City will preach the Ordination Sermon and also will be the Guest Speaker at the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service at Trinity.

Dr. White attained the unanimous support of the American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles and the Congregations of the Southwest and Hawaii's Regional Ordination Council on September 15th, 2009. She has been an Associate Minister at Trinity since relocating to California from New York City. She received the Master of Divinity Degree from the Union Theological Seminary in New York in May 2003. While there, she met Dr. James A. Forbes who was a guest lecturer in preaching. Both he and his wife, Bettye became friends and mentor and have maintained significant roles in Dr. White's life and her development as a minister throughout the last nine (9) years. Shortly after relocating to Los Angeles, Dr. White enrolled in the Ph.D. program at Claremont.

Dr. White graduated on May 16th, 2009 with a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Religion from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. The title of her Dissertation: "James Baldwin's Bible: Reading and Writing African American Formation." In addition to her Ph.D., she holds a B.A. in Journalism from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts Degree in Newspapers from Syracuse University.

While in New York, Dr. White served as a minister at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem and assisted in Worship Leadership at Riverside Baptist Church where Dr. Forbes was pastor.

Dr. Forbes is known as the preacher's preacher in national and international religious circles, because of his extensive preaching career and his charismatic style. He was recognized as one of the 12 "most effective preachers" in the English speaking world by Newsweek Magazine in 1996 and was designated as one of America's "greatest Black Preachers" by Ebony Magazine in 1984 and 1993. He is known as an Educator, Administrator, Community Activist, Interfaith Leader and he pastored several churches across the United States.

He holds three (3) earned degrees and thirteen (13) honorary degrees. He served on the Board of Manhattanville College and several organizations. He has been honored and received many prestigious awards from all over the world. He holds membership in many national foundations and organizations. In August 2004, Dr. Forbes addressed the Democratic National Convention to thousands of attentative listeners.

Dr. Forbes presently serves as President and Founder of the Healing of the National Foundation and Senior Minister Emeritus of the Riverside Church, both in New York City.

The Trinity Family invites the entire community to both services. Trinity is located at 2040 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Please call the Church Office at (323) 735-0044 if you need directions or additional information.